CYNTHIA ERIVIO & FRIENDS

Cynthia Erivo has taken the world by storm since bursting onto the West End and Broadway stages in The Color Purple. An actress, singer, author, and producer, Erivo has received worldwide critical acclaim for her work, including Grammy®, Emmy®, and Tony® Awards as well as Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, and SAG nominations.

Erivo has starred in Harriet, Genius: Aretha, Luther: The Fallen Sun, and the 2022 Pinocchio, and will star as Elphaba in Universal’s upcoming film adaptation of the hit musical WICKED. She also starred in, executive produced, and cowrote and sang a feature song for her upcoming film Drift, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

In addition to her illustrious acting career, Erivo released her debut album Ch. 1 Vs. 1 in 2021. Her vocal prowess and dynamic stage presence have led her to headline sold-out shows, symphonies, and music spaces, including the 2016 & 2019 Kennedy Center Honors, the 2017 Governor’s Ball, the 2017 Grammy Awards®, and 2020 Academy Awards®.

In 2020, Erivo launched her production company Edith’s Daughter, which focuses on projects expressing the beauty in overlooked and underrepresented people and their stories. The following year, she released her first children’s book Remember to Dream, Ebere.

Erivo will be joined by friends Joaquina Kalukango and Ben Platt.

Kalukango is an actress and singer, who has won a Tony®, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Broadway performances in Paradise Square and Slave Play. She was a SAG Award nominee for her part in the film One Night in Miami, and has recurring roles in television, including Lovecraft Country and upcoming series Bass Reeves.

Platt is a Tony®, Grammy®, and Emmy® Award–winning actor and recording artist. Acclaimed for his groundbreaking performance as Evan in Dear Evan Hansen, he later reprised the role in the Universal film adaptation. His movie and series highlights include Theater Camp, The Politician, and Pitch Perfect 1 & 2. Last year, Platt wrapped his Reverie Tour and continues to work on new music after the success of two chart-topping albums.

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EDMAR CASTAÑEDA

Latin Jazz Grammy nominee Edmar Castañeda is an unparalleled virtuoso on the harp, recognized internationally for his stunning blend of jazz and foreign folk music, particularly from his native Columbia and neighboring Venezuela.

He can make his harp sound like a bass, guitar, piano or percussion instrument, expanding the instrument’s classical boundaries with amazing technique while possessing a magnificent sense of swing. LatinJazzNet.com called his 2021 album Family, which features vocalist Andrea Teirra, “utterly memorable.”

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HOUSTON PERSON

He remains the King of the Boss Tenor Sax and nothing, it seems, can stop Houston Person, now in his sixth decade of performing.

His latest recording (he’s released over 85 of them), as featured guest on Emmet Cohen’s Masters Series Vol. 5, has rocketed up the Jazz Week charts. In its 4-star review, AllAboutJazz.com applauds Houston’s “master’s flair for swing and blues.”

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NEAL SPITZER

Saxophonist/clarinetist Neal Spitzer occupies a special spot with our region’s jazz community. In addition to his own Ensemble, his funk band Gridline, his popular weekly Hep Cat Hump Day gig at The Park Theater in Hudson, NY, and his duo work with Arnie Warmbrand, he runs our Jitterbug: Jazz for Kids program for preschoolers at the Jazz Forum.

Neal has played with greats like Milt Hinton, Houston Person and Jimmy Cobb and never fails to swing hard on the bandstand.

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BILL CHARLAP

When Bill Charlap plays standards from bop and jazz, every note is fresh, every note counts. This extraordinary Grammy-winning pianist is known for his vibrant, fluent style, artfully varying his attack, dynamics and phrase-lengths. His interpretations of the great American songwriters are especially acclaimed.

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